Description
Hendon Park Cemetery was founded in 1899 by the Abney Park Cemetery Company. Entered through a gatehouse 'inspired by old Hertfordshire churches', the cemetery has a rural ambience, with a stream running through it, and in its early days boasted thousands of trees, now somewhat depleted. In the centre is the flint-faced chapel, to which the Crematorium was added in 1922. The cemetery has separate sections devoted to particular nationalities, including Russian, Greek, Swiss and Japanese, the latter laid out as a traditional garden.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Hendon Park Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Site location | Holders Hill Road, Mill Hill |
| Postcode | NW7 1NB |
| What3Words | ///leaned.sprint.flash |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Barnet |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8.30am - 4.30pm (October-February)/5.30pm (Mar-April)/7pm (May-September) |
| Facilities | Toilets |
| Public Transport | Tube: Mill Hill East (Northern) then bus. Bus 221, 240. |
| Research Updated | 9 May 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Hendon Park Cemetery was founded by the Abney Park Cemetery Company, which had already set up Abney Park Cemetery (q.v.) in 1840 and Chingford Mount Cemetery (q.v.) in 1884. The land which the Company purchased here in 1899 were once part of Dollis Farm. The cemetery is entered through a 'quaint Old English Style' (Pevsner) Gothic and Tudoresque gatehouse designed by architect Alfred A. Bonella. In the initial years the burial services took place in a temporary chapel building. Bonella also designed the flint-faced chapel in the centre of the cemetery, which opened in July 1903, and was 'inspired by old Hertfordshire churches' according to the cemetery brochure of 1903. The chapel has an archway beneath a tower with corner turret and spike; inside is a terracotta reredos by Cantagalli, a copy of Luca Della Robbia's 'Resurrection' in Florence Cathedral. The Crematorium was added in 1922, built within cloisters that adjoined the chapel. At that time the word 'Crematorium' was added to the Gothic stone lettering at the entrance.
The cemetery has a rural ambience, with a stream running through it crossed by a number of rustic bridges, and, like Abney Park Cemetery, in its early days Hendon Cemetery boasted thousands of trees. The cemetery brochure of 1903 listed the fine variety of trees including fir, pine, ilex, holly, black and Lombardy poplars, oak, elm, maple, ash, plane, and rose acacia; 'clumps of trees dot the meadows in which contrasts and harmonies have been studied, for in them we see such different forms and colours.'. Although this plethora of planting is now much reduced, the cemetery is pleasantly tree-filled.
Within the cemetery layout today are various separate sections devoted to particular nationalities: Russian, Greek, Swiss and Japanese, the latter planned as a traditional Japanese garden with firs and Cherry trees. The Greek plot was purchased after their section at West Norwood Cemetery was full. Among the monuments is a standing bronze figure commemorating C H King who died in 1919 and a tondo of a kneeling woman in memory of Edwin Roscoe Mullins, the sculptor whose work is visible on the Fine Art Society in Bond Street (d.1907). The cemetery was taken over by Barnet Council in 1956.
The cemetery has a rural ambience, with a stream running through it crossed by a number of rustic bridges, and, like Abney Park Cemetery, in its early days Hendon Cemetery boasted thousands of trees. The cemetery brochure of 1903 listed the fine variety of trees including fir, pine, ilex, holly, black and Lombardy poplars, oak, elm, maple, ash, plane, and rose acacia; 'clumps of trees dot the meadows in which contrasts and harmonies have been studied, for in them we see such different forms and colours.'. Although this plethora of planting is now much reduced, the cemetery is pleasantly tree-filled.
Within the cemetery layout today are various separate sections devoted to particular nationalities: Russian, Greek, Swiss and Japanese, the latter planned as a traditional Japanese garden with firs and Cherry trees. The Greek plot was purchased after their section at West Norwood Cemetery was full. Among the monuments is a standing bronze figure commemorating C H King who died in 1919 and a tondo of a kneeling woman in memory of Edwin Roscoe Mullins, the sculptor whose work is visible on the Fine Art Society in Bond Street (d.1907). The cemetery was taken over by Barnet Council in 1956.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ239906 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 20 |
| Site Ownership | LB Barnet |
| Site Management | Cemeteries Dept |
| Dates | 1899 |
| Listed Structures | LBI: milestone c.1752 (20 yards south of entrance) |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Barnet |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes (part) |
| Other LA Designation | north-west corner: Area of Special Archaeological Significance |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Finchley Garden Village was built on garden city principles by the Finchley Co-Partnership Society, which had been formed in 1908. The architect Frank E Stratton was from the local firm of Bennett and Stratton; he designed cottage-style houses in pairs, each pair individually designed and incorporating traditional rural architectural features, laid out around an informal green. Stratton died in June 1922 and is commemorated by a memorial lamp on the green, which also acts as a war memorial.
Hendon Hall was built in the mid C18th, reputedly as the manor house of Hendon Manor, and once had extensive grounds. In 1765 actor-manager David Garrick purchased it and made alterations to house and grounds, including building a memorial to Shakespeare and a temple, neither of which survive. Subsequent owners made further alterations and it was twice used as a school, but in 1911 it became a hotel. By the 1930s much of estate had been built over, the Great North Way cutting off the house from the lake in 1926. The remains of the grounds at the back of the hotel were laid out with lawns, gravel paths and ornamental beds, with perimeter trees and shrubs. Hendon Hall is now a residential care home.
A Norman church existed on the site from C12th but in 1872 Saxon foundations were discovered dating from an earlier church. The tower and main body are C15th with two later aisles. Bombed in WWII, the church was later restored. The churchyard is enclosed with C20th fence and iron railings, and has some good C17th and C18th tombs. An obelisk to Major John Cartwright (d.1824) was raised by public subscription and erected in 1835. The churchyard is densely shaded, and trees include ancient yew, cedar, holly, larch and hornbeam.
